2017 tesla model s

Right now we are in a strange place in MMORPG history. Following the backlash of WoW clones and several high-profile titles that underperformed, major studios are becoming extremely risk-averse to creating big-budget titles the way that we saw not five years ago. Many former MMO teams are diversifying with shooters, MOBAs, and other safer and trendier titles. Yet all is not lost! MMO features continue to ripple out into all types of game genres and new titles continue to be produced — just not from the usual suspects. Instead, most of what is on our immediate horizon comes from either crowdfunded indie teams or eastern giants. The good news is that 2017 should see the culmination of many of these long-brewing projects and adaptations, hopefully resulting in a bumper crop of interesting online RPGs for us to play. So let’s run down the list of games that either are or possibly could be coming to you in 2017. We will provide an overview of each title, why you should care … [Read more...] about Perfect Ten: All the MMORPGs coming in 2017

Surprise! Niantic brought Pokemon Go to E3 2017 and invited members of the gaming press outside the sacred halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center to check out the upcoming raid system at a nearby gym. We were granted not just some juicy details on upcoming changes but a rare chance to interview several key members of the team, including Senior Product Manager Tatsuo Nomura, Global Product Marketing Lead Archit Bhargava, and a bit of time with Niantic Director of Engineering Edward Wu. Perhaps more so than the Generation 2 update, summer feels like it’s bringing an expansion-like update to the free to play game. PokeRaiders There are so many new additions and changes coming out this summer, but let’s start with raiding. We’ve known from data mining that it’d be coming and correctly guessed that it’s the Mewtwo event seen in the game’s original trailer. Raid Battles are the new cooperative play option that Niantic’s been … [Read more...] about E3 2017: Pokemon Go’s raiding, gym revamp, badges, and an interview with Niantic

When I first joined the Massively crew back in 2010, the very first long-form piece I did was on Super Hero Squad Online, a Marvel-themed kiddie game out of this cute rookie studio, The Amazing Society, which was nestled under Gazillion itself. The game was actually pretty good, and I remember thinking it would be a great game to play with my kids if I ever had any. It did turn out to be a great game to play with my kids. My son loves it. And this week, I’m going to have to tell him it’s coming to an end, as Gazillion has announced it’s sunsetting SHSO next year. “The game will be available until January 2017, and there’s likely still plenty of content for you to unlock over hours and hours of gameplay,” the devs wrote yesterday. “We are cutting Gold and Fractal prices of all Characters by 20%, so you can try out all of it! All Jr. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent benefits remain in force, and everything remains available. We will no longer … [Read more...] about Gazillion to sunset Marvel Super Hero Squad Online in January 2017

Not too long ago, there was all but one way that you would pay for an MMO, and that was as a monthly subscription. Oh, it used to be an hourly sub back in the wild early days of the genre, when keyboard cowboys thought nothing about racking up $481 a month playing a game on a 400-baud modem, but in the late ’90s, the monthly sub model established itself as the baseline, and most all MMORPGs fell into line behind it. Though a rare few western games dabbled in a free-to-play model along the way, it was Turbine’s decision to embrace it with Dungeons and Dragons Online in 2009 that brought it to the mainstream in the west. Since then, studios have been experimenting with business models left and right, trying to come up with the most attractive method of emptying your wallets into their coffers. Sometimes business models can get incredibly confusing, especially when games will use the same terminology in different ways. Today we’re going to walk through all of … [Read more...] about Massively OP’s guide to MMO business models